Kiwanis Club gives Paradise Lake property to YMCA

Future of YMCA Outdoor Centre / YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y secure long term

Waterloo Region – A slice of paradise for the children of Waterloo Region has been secured long term thanks to a gift by the Kiwanis Club of Kitchener-Waterloo to the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA. The service club has given the YMCA its property on Paradise Lake outside St. Clements. The gift, at an estimated value of approximately $600,000, is one of the largest in the history of either organization.

“When we opened this site as a camp in 1924, our goal was for as many local kids to experience the benefits of camping as possible. For generations of local youth, going to camp meant going to our property on Paradise Lake,” said Malcolm Shantz, President of the Kiwanis Club. “Since 1972, we’ve rented the property exclusively to the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA. They have been good stewards of the land and use it year-round to get thousands of kids active outdoors while learning more about themselves and the natural world they live in. We have decided that the best way to build upon the site’s tradition of camping is to give the YMCA ownership of the property.”

The Kiwanis Club first leased the 77 acre property in 1924 to operate it as a camp in partnership with a number of organizations. It continued to do so after 1938 when the club bought the property. In 1972, the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA became the land’s sole tenant.

“We’re humbled by this wonderful gift,” said Mike Stork, President of the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA. “At a time, when so many kids risk being disconnected from nature, the long term use of this property as an outdoor centre and camp has been secured. We truly appreciate this historic gift!”

The Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA has operated a camp on the property since 1924. In 1942, it became officially know as Camp Ki-Wa-Y. In 1995, year-round programming for school groups began with the opening of the YMCA Outdoor Centre that featured environmental and leadership education. The site is also used for conferences, retreats, meetings and family reunions that take advantage of its opportunities for teambuilding, developing leadership skills and recreation. In 2006, the YMCA Outdoor Centre won a silver award in the sustainable living category of the Canadian Environmental Awards. And in June of 2009, the federal and provincial governments gave grants to build four more straw bale cabins and a program pod so that even more people can benefit from the centre.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Kiwanis club was organized on March 7, 1921. Its history of service to the community includes not just camp Ki-Wa-Y. The club founded the Meals on Wheels program in 1974 and helped administer the program until 1985 when the Province took it over. The club is best known for operating the Kiwanis Music Festival which it began in 1954. The club still organizes and runs the festival every April.

The YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo are both registered charities dedicated to strengthening our communities by providing opportunities for personal growth and active involvement for everyone living in Waterloo Region.